Vehicle interiors are provided with desirable aesthetics by use of various panels and covers largely designed to conceal underlying structural and/or functional components. A vehicle instrument panel, for example, provides aesthetically pleasing contours, textures, and patterns while also concealing structural cross-members, weld joints, HVAC ductwork, etc. The visible surface facing the interior of a vehicle passenger cabin is usually formed by several individual pieces that are attached together and partly overlap each other. While plastic materials are used extensively in vehicle interior panels, metal clips and fasteners continue to be favored at joints where plastic panels are attached together. In some cases, plastic-based clips and fasteners have been used, but they are usually made from a different material and/or are formed separately from the panel.
An example of a multi-piece attachment feature for a vehicle interior panel is disclosed by Bachelder et al. in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0176363. Bachelder teaches a system for attaching a trim panel to a B-pillar. The attachment feature includes a low-profile, sheet metal “doghouse” that is heat-staked to the back of the trim panel, along with a nylon clip inserted into the metal piece. The nylon clip protrudes away from the back of the panel to be inserted into an opening in the B-pillar with a washer between the nylon clip and the B-pillar. In some cases, the nylon clip and washer are omitted, and a threaded fastener is driven into a pilot hole in the metal doghouse to join the panel to the B-pillar.